BRDMIN(12) 06S

Summary Minutes of the DfES Board

Abbey Room, SanctuaryBuildings

Thursday 14 December 2006

09.00 – 12.00

Attendees:

David Bell / Chair: Permanent Secretary
Philip Augar / Non-Executive Board Member
Tom Jeffery / Director General, CYPFD
Stephen Marston / Director General, LLSD
Ralph Tabberer / Director General, Schools Directorate
Ruth Thompson / Director General, Higher Education Directorate
Jon Thompson / Director General, Corporate Services
Caroline Wright / Director, Communications Directorate
Charles Lang / Board Secretariat
Tim Decamp / Board Secretariat

Also Attending:

John Elliott / Strategic Analysis and Data Service Group
Adam Hardy / Strategy Analysis and Data Service Group
James Bromiley / Corporate Planning and Performance
Andrew Charlesworth-May / Finance Strategy
Stephen Meek / Strategy Unit
Jon Coles / 14-19 Reform Group
Maria Burgess

Summary of the minutes from 14 December 2006

1 / 09.00 / Minutes BRDMIN(11)06
The minutes of the Board meeting of 14 December2006 were approved.
2 / 09.05 / Migration BRD(06)57
John Elliott and Adam Hardy introduced the topic of migration and asked the Board to consider what the Department should be doing. They reminded the Board of a range of major benefits and costs to migration.
The Board asked John and Adam to consider the points raised as this issue continued to be looked at. The Board also asked for a briefing note for Ministers to be prepared in light of the discussion held.
3 / 09.45 / Finance Report BRD(06)58
James Bromiley introduced the monthly Finance report to the Board.
4 / 10.00 / Business Planning Cycle BRD(06)59
Katie Sturdy introduced proposals on putting in place a Departmental business plan for 2007/07. The Board discussed exactly what sort of business plan it wanted and thanked Kate for her thinking on this.
6 / 10.40 / Update on Progress on 14-19 Reform BRD(06)60
Jon Coles updated the Board on progress on 14-19 Reform. He noted in particular that while good progress was being made generally the Department needed in the next few months to put considerable effort into communicating with schools, colleges, young people and Higher Education Institutes.
Jon also noted that the Gateway process currently underway to assess which areas would first introduce the diplomas was well underway.
7 / 11.20 / The Bridge
The Board visited ‘The Bridge’ – an innovative tool to aid the policy development process and performance management of the system. The Board agreed to look again at the impact such a tool was having on the Department’s ways of working.